18" W x 14.5" H
Antique Furniture Illustration
A finely executed colored pencil rendering of a 17th-century English oak chest, signed Chas. Squires at the lower margin. This large drawing captures the carved foliate panels, geometric center doors, and turned details typical of Jacobean furniture design. The artist’s use of colored pencil highlights the warmth and depth of oak, bringing out both technical accuracy and decorative appeal.
The work is by Charles C. Clyde Squires (1883–1970), an illustrator and draftsman born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Squires studied with the celebrated illustrator Howard Pyle and also trained at the New York School of Art under William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and Frank DuMond. His career included published illustrations in Life, Harper’s, Collier’s, The Ladies’ Home Journal, and American Magazine. While best known for his romantic and Western illustrations, Squires also contributed to the Index of American Design, producing careful renderings of historic furniture and decorative arts. This drawing belongs to that lesser-known but fascinating side of his work, documenting heritage craftsmanship with precision and artistry.
Works such as this were often created as study plates or catalog illustrations for design schools, museums, or craftsmen at a time when hand-rendered furniture drawings were an essential reference. Today, it serves equally well as an antique collectible and a striking decorative piece for a library, study, or alongside period furniture.
Condition:
The drawing is presented on its original board with light toning and small scattered spots appropriate to age. No tears or structural losses; the surface remains clean with strong color and clear detail. Ready for framing.
